In our previous invention, published as U.S. Pat. No. 8,608,122, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, a device was disclosed which provided a means for rapidly and easily securing panels of various sorts, to I-beams. In particular, such securement was primarily developed so as to provide easier and faster mounting of trailer fairings to the sides of cargo trailers, and thereby improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the cargo trailers to which the trailer fairings are mounted.
As discussed in that earlier document, prior art devices for mounting trailer fairings at the ends of I-beams on the underside of cargo trailers have traditionally required the careful placement of a plurality of support structures to hold the fairings in place. These were typically mounted to the trailer using a system of two or more plates held with at least four bolts, at the end of each I-beam, and the attachment of an additional two bolts at the bottom of the trailer fairing. However, those skilled in the art are aware that proper placement and installation of each such assemblies requires considerable time, and typically involves handling a not inconsiderable weight. As such, one or two skilled mechanics might be needed to install those devices and this adds to the overall cost of installing these types of devices.
The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,608,122 however, provided a mounting clamp assembly which could be used to create a wedging action that secures the assembly to the I-beam. In use, the clamp assembly could be pre-assembled and then fitted to the I-beam by simply tightening one bolt. As such, the device could be easily mounted into position on the I-beam and tightened to provide a secure mounting assembly for the fairing. A significant reduction in installation time, and cost, was provided by this device.
As part of that device, a central clamping block was provided having a flat surface at one end of a central body, which flat surface was used for attachment of the fairing to the clamping assembly. This approach was of most benefit for installation of fairings which were straight, and which extended longitudinally down the sides of the cargo trailer. As a result, the fairings were easily installed in a manner wherein the fairing is mounted perpendicular to the trailer I-beams.
However, fairings are now frequently installed at an angle to the trailer. In one angled fairing approach, the two fairings on the two sides of the trailer are straight, but they converge as they approach the front of the trailer. Alternatively, some fairings are designed to have a section straight along the edge of the trailer, but curve inwardly as they approach the front of the trailer. In either case, at least part of the fairings are now installed at an angle to the trailer. Other approaches are also known wherein curved fairings are installed under the trailer, and thus, the use of a perpendicular flat surface is not always possible.
As a result, all or at least parts of these types of fairings are no longer installed simply in a manner wherein the flat surface of the clamping assembly can be positioned perpendicular to the I-beams.
Use of the device provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,608,122 has therefore been made more difficult since that device was primarily intended for use with a flat surface which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the I-beams.
Moreover, the previous design also utilized the fact that the main supporting structure of the clamping assembly generally extended along the axis of the I-beam, and as such, the I-beam provided support to the device. Installing the clamping assembly at an angle, so that the flat surface followed the angled orientation of the fairing, twisted the device on the I-beam so that the I-beam no longer provided support along the entire length of the clamping assembly central body. As a result, some support for the clamping assembly is lost since this arrangement could allow the support structure to twist and loosen when the fairing is subjected to accidental impact, or by wind forces under the trailer. Additionally, installation of the clamping assembly is made more difficult since the entire clamping assembly can no longer be placed directly on the I-beam.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a fairing clamping assembly which can be easily and rapidly installed on a wide variety of I-beams, in a manner such that the flat surface for mounting of the fairing is not perpendicular to the I-beams, and wherein the flat surface of the clamping assembly is provided at an angle to the I-beams even though the main supporting structure of the clamping assembly still rests essentially completely on the central longitudinal axis of the I-beam.